Hearing expert is pride of Scotland

A hearing expert who drove over 200 miles to help a patient is the pride of Scotland after being named the UK’s Audiologist of the Year for 2010.

David Bryce, who is from Aberdeen, has been chosen as the nation’s top hearing professional in a competition voted for by patients around the UK.

The competition is run by hearing aid battery maker Rayovac, the manufacturer of the world’s number one selling zinc air hearing aid batteries. It encourages patients with hearing difficulties to nominate professionals who go above and beyond the call of duty in the provision of care.

David, who runs Scottish Hearing Services centre with his family, is the first Scottish professional to win the Audiologist of the Year title. The competition is now in its third year and is held for the 3,000 plus hearing care professionals working in the UK today.

He is an experienced professional who has been caring for patients for over 20 years and was nominated for the award by regular visitor, Brian Johnston

David said: “Brian is someone who’s been coming to my clinic for many years so I’m very touched that he went to the effort of voting for me. I feel very proud to have won and happy that the service I provide is appreciated by patients like Brian.

“It’s very much a team effort as well, as I rely a great deal on my colleagues to provide on-going support and aftercare to patients.”

In his nomination, Brian praised the high quality of David’s care, highlighting his knowledge of hearing, his compassion and understanding of patients’ problems, particularly the time and care he takes to explain what he is doing and discuss any technical issues. This includes spending significant amounts of time trialling new settings on his hearing aids to find the perfect one.

He also highlighted David’s attention to care extended to driving more than 200 miles to visit him at home in Thurso and getting to know his family.

The award continues to attract a growing number of high quality entries year-on-year and was judged by an independent panel of industry experts including Alan Talbot, head of the British Society of Hearing Aid Audiologists (BSHAA), Tom Davison, a consultant at the RVI Hospital in Newcastle and Gillian Lacey from Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.

As winners, both David and Brian receive prizes, with David now in the running to be named this year’s European Audiologist of the Year – a title that will be awarded at the EUHA conference in Germany in October.

Paula Brinson-Pyke of Rayovac explains: “David demonstrates all the qualities of an outstanding hearing professional. He cares deeply for his patients, shows great sympathy and compassion and works incredibly hard to help them get them the right support they require.

“Reading through his nomination it was very easy to see the affection and regard in which he is held by his patients and the undoubted impact he has on their lives.

“He is a fitting winner of the award which has once again demonstrated the outstanding level of care and commitment provided by audiologists around the UK.”